Thread: Illegally imported bushmeat contained bacteria: study

Illegally imported bushmeat contained bacteria: study

AFP - 11 hrs ago

Bushmeat illegally imported from Africa and seized at five top US airports often contained potentially dangerous bacteria, according to a new study made public in the US.

The study led by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was published by PLoS ONE magazine.

Items confiscated as part of the study included raw to semi-cooked animal parts, including those of primates like baboons and chimpanzees as well as various rodent species.

Among the pathogens identified in the products were a zoonotic retrovirus, simian foamy viruses, and several nonhuman primate herpesviruses.

"Exotic wildlife pets and bushmeat are Trojan horses that threaten humankind at sites where they are collected in the developing world as well as the US," said Ian Lipkin, a researcher from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

"Our study underscores the importance of surveillance at ports, but we must also encourage efforts to reduce demand for products that drive the wildlife trade," he added.

The United States is one of the largest consumers of imported wildlife products and wildlife.

A previous study by EcoHealth Alliance showed that over a six-year period that began in 2000 approximately 1.5 billion live wild animals were legally imported into the country with 90 percent slated for the pet trade.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has also reported that more than 55 million pounds (25 million kilograms) of wildlife products enter the country each year, with New York City being the most common port of entry followed by Miami, and Los Angeles.

Illegally imported bushmeat contained bacteria: study - Yahoo! News

420 pounds of cow brains seized at Cairo airport

Associated Press | Posted: Friday, January 13, 2012 11:20 am

Officials at Cairo's international airport confiscated 420 pounds (190 kilograms) of frozen cow brains Friday from three Sudanese travelers who planned to sell them to Egyptian restaurants, authorities said.

An airport official said it was the fourth time this week that customs officers there had foiled an attempt to smuggle cow brains into the country, reflecting the growth of a moneymaking scheme made possible by some realities of international supply and demand: Cow brains are cheap in Sudan, and Egyptians like to eat them.

A pound of raw cow brains bought in Sudan for less than a dollar can be resold in Egypt for six times as much, airport officials said. That means Friday's haul could have earned the men more than $1,500.

Restaurants specializing in liver and brains are popular in Egypt. Both items are deep fried and often eaten in pita bread with spicy red sauce.

Airport officials discovered the brains Friday while inspecting large freezer boxes brought in by three travelers on a flight from Sudan's capital, Khartoum. After inspecting the boxes, the officials confiscated the brains since they couldn't ensure they had been preserved in a sanitary manner.

The brains would be burned, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity under airport rules.

420 pounds of cow brains seized at Cairo airport